Robert MacKenzie, you have been awarded a BUIRA Fellowship “in recognition of your tremendous contribution both to BUIRA and to industrial relations scholarship.” – what does this mean?
– A BUIRA Fellowship is an honorary distinction awarded by the British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA). It recognises scholars who have made an outstanding and sustained contribution to the field of industrial relations research. The Fellowship will be formally awarded at BUIRA’s annual conference, which this year takes place at the University of Essex in June.
– Receiving the Fellowship at the conference feels particularly meaningful because it represents a return to my academic roots. I previously served as Treasurer of BUIRA, and this was also the first conference I attended as a young researcher while working on my PhD. In that sense, it feels like coming full circle. Industrial relations is a field that I have been actively involved in throughout my entire academic career, so this recognition is especially gratifying.
How does it feel?
– Looking at the scholars who have previously received this distinction, it is of course a great honour. At the same time, there is a certain humility in being counted among so many distinguished researchers. It is a recognition that I am both delighted by and deeply grateful for.
– The Fellowship is awarded not only for academic publications, but also for long-term contributions to the field and to the wider scholarly community. For that reason, I see it as recognition of an entire academic career rather than any single achievement. Research is rarely an individual endeavour. I therefore regard this Fellowship as recognition not only of my own work, but also of the research environments, collaborations and colleagues that I have had the privilege to work with over many years.
What does this mean for Karlstad Business School and the subject of Working Life Science?
– The Fellowship brings positive attention to Karlstad Business School and Karlstad University as institutions with strong research and international visibility in the field of working life and employment relations. As one of the leading scholarly associations in industrial relations, both in the UK and internationally, BUIRA’s recognition also reflects the standing of our research within the wider international academic community.
– It also highlights the international networks and collaborations that we have built over many years. We maintain close relationships with several leading research environments in the field and collaborate regularly with colleagues from institutions such as Queen Mary University of London, the University of Manchester and the University of Leeds in both research and teaching. In that sense, the Fellowship is also recognition of the research environment and collaborative networks that we have developed here in Karlstad.
– I also see the Fellowship as recognition of the research already being undertaken here and as an encouragement to continue developing it. For me, it is above all a motivation to continue contributing to the field and to further strengthen the international collaborations and networks that have been an important part of my academic career, and which have also been of benefit to colleagues in Karlstad.
